


Will I See You Again

by Jania28



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Doctor Who (2005), Supernatural, Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27484354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jania28/pseuds/Jania28
Summary: Jack couldn’t remember the first time he met the angel, it seemed like he'd always been there.
Relationships: Castiel (Supernatural)/Jack Harkness
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Will I See You Again

Jack couldn’t explain why he stayed away from his stalker, as Gwen had jokingly nicknamed him. Ianto had asked him once why he didn’t ask the man his name and Jack had simply replied “I can’t,” and left it at that. And that was that, or so Jack thought. The man would appear, watch Jack for a while and vanish again. Jack never questioned why. 

That was until Ianto died and Torchwood fell and all Jack knew was a yawning grief that made him so numb he couldn’t remember ever feeling human. Then he’d been forced to make an even more soul crushing choice and lose everything he’d ever fought for. As he stalked away from Alice he’d seen him standing at the end of the hallway and without thinking got into his face and just let loose. 

“Who the hell are you,” Jack raged, unable to stop himself, “why the hell are you watching me?” The man looked at him with that deeply sad expression and replied. “A friend.” “Some friend,” Jack replied, “standing by when I had to kill my own family.” 

His hand clenched into a fist and it took everything he had not to punch the man in the face. That same weird sense of “NO STOP,” was warning him not to make the final move because it would not end well. He simply hissed a swear word and slammed out into the sunlight determined to vanish from the world that hated him so much. 

And disappear he did, into a new life, a new identity and a new family. Malcolm Meryln didn’t have the same burdens as Jack Harkness nor the same secrets. At least he didn’t until life decided to be doubly cruel and stole yet another lover from his arms. But this time, Jack/Malcolm refused to lay down just to accept the pain. He decided this time he would fight back. 

And fight back he did, training under the League of Assassins and using his centuries of experience to plan his revenge. Deep in his heart, Jack knew the Doctor would be deeply disappointed in him but he doesn’t care. He’s done just being angry, he wants action, he wants the world to know he’s here and willing to do what he needs to to make the world better. 

Only he doesn’t get the chance, Oliver Queen kills him with his plan only half complete and while Jack is impressed that the young man managed it, he knows this isn’t the end. He'll come back and he’d try again. He was looking forward to seeing Oliver face when they clashed again, that was going to be fun. 

Jack came to what seemed like hours later and blinked as he sat up. He was in some sort of forest and everything was drab and colorless. He could hear howling creatures on the wind and he made a reach for his bow only to find it was missing. He was still wearing his quiver though and Jack had learned over his long life to be adaptable so he stands up and pulls an arrow free gripping it like a knife. 

He walks for what seems like hours, kills a few things he thinks used to be human, but he doesn’t want to examine too closely and finally manages to come to a river where he finds him. Jack is still feeling the same deep rage he’d felt years ago and yet as he examines his strange, dare he say friend, he can see the suffering and pain inside him. 

He supposes that’s why he simply shoves his bloody arrow back into it’s quiver and sits down studying the man he’s known about as long as he’s known the Doctor, maybe even longer. The man’s eyes are just as blue as he remembered and his messy hair is longer. He’s dressed in clothing that has seen better days and it’s clear he’s been here much longer than Jack because he’s covered in filth. 

“You’ve seen better days haven’t you,” Jack says trying to fill the silence. He’s worn the cold mask of Malcolm for so long that trying to be cheerful feels like clothing that doesn’t fit right anymore. But the words get a reaction out of his companion and the man turns to stare at him as he’s dreaming. “What are you doing here?” 

Jack shrugs. “I was about to ask myself the same question. I died but normally that means being blank for a few minutes then waking up in the morgue not here.” He waves at the grey landscape around them which earns him a dark look from his companion. “Purgatory,” the man replies, “you are in Purgatory.” Jack blinks and makes a soft huh noise, which earns him another annoyed look. 

“Do you take anything seriously,” the man replies, which rankles Jack. “Don’t act like you know me,” he snaps in reply, “because you don’t.” “I know enough,” comes the terse response, “enough that I know you deserve to be here with the other monsters and with me.” The last part is said with a quiet firmness that sinks deep into Jack’s wounded soul and stays there. 

“Then why didn’t you stop me,” Jack replies his own voice taking on a low and dangerous tone “if I was supposed to be better why did you just stand by and watch as I made mistakes that got people killed, why did you let my family die.” The man looks at him and for a long moment he doesn’t answer. “Because it was not my place to do so...you had free will and you chose to use it.” 

Jack stood up filled with what he considered a righteous rage and without thinking about it found the blood arrow back in his hand. “Oh are you God then,” he snapped and the man replied “No I was one of his angels.” This stunned Jack, who had grown up in a culture that believed in general faith rather than an actual God. The arrow dropped from his hand as he croaked out “You were a what?” 

The man looked at him. “My name is Castiel and I was once an Angel of the Lord.” Jack started laughing and for a long moment he wasn’t sure he could stop. An actual angel had been watching over him for years. It felt like the plot of a bad movie. He laughed and laughed until he had to stop for lack of air and then he stared at Castiel trying to understand how his life could have gotten even weirder than it already was. 

“Why were you watching me,” Jack says once he’s sure he can have a serious conversation again. “I was curious,” the angel replied. “Curious,” Jack said puzzled. “I could not understand how someone with your gift could be so cavalier with it.” The words are said without malice and yet Jack feels they are a rebuke and it hurts. He feels the need to defend himself and does so without thinking. 

“Why should I let someone else die when they won’t come back and I will,” he asks, not expecting an answer. “Not that it’s helped, but if I can spare one life by giving up my own then I am going to do it.” Castiel chooses that moment to stand up and remind Jack that they can look each other in the eye. Finally having the angel close is reminding Jack of why he never approached him before and he’s tempted to take a step back. 

But Castiel won’t let him and he holds eye contact as he speaks. “Why is it your responsibility to carry the burdens of the world,” he asks, “to make the choices no one else can make. You did not ask for any of this so why accept it?” Jack has a feeling Castiel’s words aren’t simply directed at Jack but himself as well and Jack can’t help wondering who hurt the angel so deeply he has to question himself. 

“Because I can,” Jack replies and for a moment he feels the weight of grief he’d been denying for years or hiding behind a mask of charm or cold rage. “But should you,” Castiel asks and then turns and walks away. Jack isn’t sure if he should follow or not, but when he tries to turn away and move in the other direction he finds that he can’t. So he follows leaving the bloody on the ground behind him forgotten. 

Time blends together into light and dark, monster killing and trying to stay alive. Jack finds that he can indeed die and come back here, but Castiel’s reaction terrifies Jack so much he never attempts to protect the angel that way again. He finds that Castiel pushes him and prods him leaving him both raw and healed in equal measure. And Jack in turn gives the angel someone safe to lean on and to draw strength from. They are a good match and that scares Jack because people he cares about end up getting hurt. 

While most of the time the two immortals get along they do have one blow up fight and it concerns the Winchesters. Jack has no problem with the younger one Sam, he sounds like a stand up guy who believes in protecting the world. Jack’s main issue is with the older brother Dean, he hates Dean with a deep passion that is a mixture of both Jack and Malcolm. The hatred deepens when Castiel tells him about staying behind in Purgatory so that Dean could leave. 

Jack rages for a week about this while Castiel just looks on puzzled. He lets Jack kill about a dozen vampires until he manages to calm down and explain. He tells Castiel about the Doctor and being left behind to figure out his immortality on his own, about being called “wrong” and about how deeply and passionately he loved the Time Lord only to be turned aside again and again. He tries to make the angel understand that he sees the same actions in Dean, but Castiel refuses to listen and Jack leaves unable to face someone who would allow themselves to be hurt by someone they loved. 

It’s not a good decision to make, but then again Jack Harkness isn’t known for making good choices when his emotions are in the mix and he ends up walking right into a group of werewolves ready for a fight and loses badly. He dies over and over as the wolves toy with him and he fights the urge to panic remembering being buried alive. They play with him for days before Castiel tracks them down and ends them without a word. Jack watches in terror and awe as he fades into death one final time. 

He wakes up to a panicked angel trying to heal him and without thinking Jack leans up and kisses him in an attempt to calm him down Castiel’s lips are chapped and cold, Jack hasn’t kissed anyone since Moira Queen over 15 years ago so the angle isn’t right, but in that moment Jack feels a part of himself start to heal. But reality sets in and Jack yanks himself away in fear. Kissing an angel isn’t like kissing a human….Jack’s soul is too tainted to be worthy of Cas. 

But he doesn’t run away again, he wants to get Castiel back to the Winchesters, back to where he can do the most good. Jack might not believe in a God, but he believes in Castiel and he will do whatever is necessary to get the angel back to Earth and his family. It feels good to have a purpose beyond revenge and Jack throws himself into the task whole heartedly. 

But to his surprise Cas doesn’t seem on board with this plan, when he notices Jack trying to protect him he objects strongly getting into Jack’s face and nearly coming to blows with the younger immortal. “Stop disrespecting yourself like this,” the angel snapped one night around a hastily made fire. “I am no more important than you are.” Jack scoffed softly but that only earned a glare from Castiel in response. 

“I killed a child,” Jack pointed out with no sense of irony, “my actions sent innocent people into danger. “Two of my own children turned their backs on me because of my choices. I deserve to be here Castiel….you don’t. You were trying to do the right thing….I chose to do the wrong one.” 

Castiel stares at Jack for a long moment with that deeply sad expression he always seemed to have around Jack. “You lashed out in your grief and made a choice to save others. While those actions don’t cancel each other out you have a chance for redemption should you want to take it.” He moved closer to Jack who felt his heartbeat speed up. He knew he should stop the angel from doing something they would both regret. But Jack is feeling selfish and when Cas leans in, Jack meets him the rest of the way. 

This kiss was much better than the last one and yet again Jack felt a piece of himself he thought completely broken start to heal. But Jack knows better than anyone that this won’t last. And that separation comes a few days later. 

Jack hadn’t been expecting to stumble on the portal out. He’d been tracking a nest of vampires only to find them trying a ritual to get out. And they’d managed to make it work. Jack didn’t hesitate to finish the group off and then turn to Cas who was staring at the swirling vortex like he was dreaming it. “How long before it closes,” he yells, but the angel doesn’t answer. 

Jack gets in his face and grips Castiel’s chin forcing the angel to look at him. “How long Cas,” he says firmly. “A few minutes maybe,” comes the shaky reply. “Not enough time for both of us then,” Jack says with a nod. He glances at the portal and then leans in to kiss Castiel one final time. “Jack,” the angel says, his voice breaking, but Jack just shakes his head hard. “Just do one thing for me. Just one thing.” 

Jack takes a deep breath and leans in for one more kiss. “Live a fantastic life...for me.” And he shoves the angel through the portal. He watches it snap shut and for the first time in a long time feels as though he’s done the best thing he ever could. He turns back to his gray world and squared his shoulders. 

“Time to get back to work,” he mutters and dives back into the hell that is Purgatory.


End file.
